Big Boy

This past Monday we went out and purchased a twin bed for Michael - or as we call it here, a Big Boy Bed at Michael's House. It was delivered yesterday. Michael and Noah (the 3 yo I sit for) were watching the truck pull up to the house. Truck watching, mind you, is a highlight of their day. As the bed is being carried into the house, Noah is jumping circles (yes it was much more energetic than just running circles) around Michael saying, "Aren't you 'cited Michael?" over and over. Michael on the other hand is in his quiet "watch and figure this all out" mode. So they watch the guys put it together and Michael is quite proud of it all when it's done.
Fast forward to nap time. I'm really unsure how this is going to go. We set the bed up with just the bottom sheet and a bed rail - no pillow. I figured this was as similar to the crib experience that we could get. I lay Michael down and go downstairs to listen. He starts talking and moving around and even singing - all of which has become normal for his naps. (This of course is a whole other story I could entitle - A Two Year Old Should Not Be Aloud to Give Up His Naps!) And finally he quiets down.
Come evening he goes down no problem! So our 2 year old has had his first successful nap and night sleep in his Big Boy Bed. Here is a picture I took in the middle of the night (the scrapbooker in me couldn't resist) and one of Michael showing off the bed in the morning:

The Weather

It's a weather roller coaster outside today - reminding me of those days back in Michigan! I turned the news on this morning to hear that there would be a high of 44 today. Later that morning the sun was shining and the thermometer on the back porch read 70. At Michael's insistence, he even went outside and played! He comes back in and I turn around a couple minutes later and everything outside is wet. It rained?- when did that happen? Later, I look only to find it hailing. Needless to say the thermometer now reads just under 40. And just now, the sun is peaking out again and things are drying off. A true variety day.

We went out!

Well, Tim and I actually got a night out. For Pastor appreciation, our Pastor took staff out for a nice dinner. We got a babysitter for Michael and had a wonderful time. We went to a nice seafood restaurant and I actually tried some Calamari. What we were served looked a lot like this picture. I ate some of those that look like onion rings, and told my mouth that's what they were. The ones that actually look like squids just completely freaked me out.

The best thing about the dinner out was the adult conversation of course and the fact that I actually forgot about rushing to pick up Michael from the sitter! That is a true sign of enjoying oneself I believe!

An experiment

So how long do you think one can be in the presents of toddlers before on looses half of one's vocabulary? I spend most days caring for Michael and another toddler. Then I spent Sunday night doing nursery for a church function and tomorrow I get to teach the Pioneer toddler class. There have been way to many times recently when I've found myself thinking, "I can't believe my conversations have come to this." Today, for example, I found myself arguing about who is a boy and who is a girl, confirming that yes infact we don't eat play-do, and repeating the line "What was that?" from a book 50 times to a crowd of laughing toddlers. I even find myself quoting Michael to myself when something doesn't go well: "Miss.... Try 'gain!" Somebody please find me an adult conversation!!!!

Halloween

Well, Halloween was on Wednesday this year. Wednesday is church night for us - I usually teach the kid's programs on Wed. Assuming that I wouldn't have too many kids come this last week, we canceled the kid's classes, but still offered child care for the youth workers and the Bible study participants that would be meeting that night.
So Tim and I got to run the nursery. We figured that Michael isn't old enough now to miss trick-or-treating. So I tried to find him a Halloween shirt to wear instead of a costume this year. I was shocked, checking at Target, Kohls, and a couple of other places that I couldn't find one! The girl shirts (all of them had frills and things on the sleves/neck) were all cute with cats and pumpkins, while the boy shirts had spiders and mummies and said phrase that I was less than pleased with. Finally though I found a pumpkin sweatshirt that Michael loved. Here are some pictures of him outside that morning!